Psalm 34:9 “Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.”
[The call here, the command, is to fear God—to be so in awe of the Powerful Creator, the Faithful Ruler, the Righteous King of glory that we reject our natural responses and obey Him instead, trusting His wisdom, knowledge and goodness.
It means caring deeply what He thinks and thereby rejecting what I or others think when it is different. If we do this, the promise is that we will lack nothing.
That is a huge, all-encompassing promise: everything I need will be given! This, of course, is an echo of Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…,” which also implies surrender to Him as Lord.
Part of fearing God is accepting that He knows what we actually need. This may be getting what we personally desire, or the opposite. For us right now, it means my wife being sick with chronic Lyme’s Disease, suffering weakness, pain, confusion and depression. In the midst of this Jesus is with us, shepherding us, equipping us, using us.
Part of fearing God is believing His Word, knowing that He has a plan in our pain: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'” (Jer.29:11).
Help us, Lord, to grow in fearing you, to rest in your greatness, to do what is pleasing to you, to reject the pressures of men, the pull of our own hearts and instead do what is on your heart.
I praise you, Lord, for your faithfulness in graciously tying us to yourself (which means allowing us to grieve you when we disbelieve and disobey), in making us to be dependent on you.
You give us much joy as we see you answer prayer, grant us your wisdom, demonstrate your faithfulness and display your might.
Help us to walk in faith and trust in our present period of problems, fearing you, resting in your goodness and waiting for your wise timing to bring your desired future.]
